Feeler mechanism for looms



July 27 1926.

H. A. DAVIS FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Feb 10. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

ATTORNEY A. DAVIS FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS I Filed Feb. 10, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -R/JS A I ATTaR WWW.

Patented July 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES setse earner orrics.

HARRY A. DAVIS, or I-IOTEDALE,MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNon'ro DRAPER oo'nrona- TION, or HOPEDALE, mnssnonusnr'rs, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

- Application'filed February 10, 1926. Serial m. 87,389.

This invention relates to t'eeler mechanisms for looms whereby when the filling becomes substantially exhausted 1n the shuttle the Operative condition of the loom will be changed, such, the filling. v

Feeler mechanisms of the so-called intermittent type seek to prevent injury to the filling bythe recurring contacts of the :teeler therewith on detecting beats, and'various constructions have been devised to this end. The present invention is directed to improvements in the intermittent type of teeler mechanisms, and has for one of its objects .the simplification of the feeler mechanism and its disposition with respect to the loom parts whereby the train of mechanism for periodically freeing the teeler shall in no way interfere with the tree access to the lo'oin' parts by the weaver or loom attendant. In accordance with the present invention the teeler is'held in an inoperative position during. its periods of inactivity, and is freed at intervals that it may move to feeling position and again be returned to itsinoperative position should it detect a working sup ply of filling in the shuttle, but shouldthe f'eeler detect a near approach to substantial exhaustion of the filling, it will remain in operative position and effect replenishment of filling when that in the shuttle is sub stantially exhausted. The controlling means for thus freeing the teeler at intervals durfor instances, as replenishing lower and comprises a periodically active trip mechanism mountedon the cam follower, or apart movable therewith, to free the feeler to the performance of its feeling function.

The invention and new combination of parts will best be made clear from the fol lowing description and accompanying drawings of one good form thereof, wherein the means" for controlling the periods o1 activity of the teele-r are actuated from the lower cam shaft which has a one-totwo relative movement with the cran'k shaft. More specifically stated, the mechanism for cont-rolling the periods 'ot'activity of the follower are mounted for bodily movement with the cam'follower, or a part movable therewith.

Inthe drawings" Fig. 1' is a perspective view'at thefeeler side of a loom having the present invention associated therewith, some ln'g weaving is associated with the cam fol-- of the parts being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged'side elevation of the trip mechanism or step-by-step device mounted upon the cam follower, the cover plate being removed;

Fig. 3 is a front edge view of the step-bystep mechanism detailed, V

Fig. t is a detail showing one means'for actuating the cam follower. I

The feeler mechanism in' the presentinstance is associated with means for effect ing replenishment of filling when that in the active shuttle has become substantially exhausted, but the replenishing mechanism and details thereof are not herein shown and described because such details form no essen tial part of the present invention and are now well understood by those'skilledin the art.

The loom frame 1 may be of usual construction, and from the end of the breast beam there extends the shipper stand 2. Rising from the transverse or rock shaft, which extends transversely of the 106m as usual, is the arm 3 to which is pivotally con nected at 4 the actuator-5 having'at its rear end portion a pivotal supported finger 6 adapted at times to be'enga'ged'by anoperating member 7 which as shown may be formed aspart of or connected to the cam follower. The finger 6 is pivotally connected to the actuator 5 at S and has aprojection 9 which ovei'liesa-n arm 10'ofa-bell crank lever pivoted at 11' to a'braeket 12 connected to the loom frame or shipper stand. The other arm'13 of the bell crank lever is connected to a transmitter 14 which is" associated'with a slotted slide 15 mounted inthe guideway 16"at the rear portion of the teeler stand 17 Y The teeler 18 is shown asf'of the inclined type, but so far as the present invention is concerned the feeler may be'of any desired character. The :trontwardlyextending stem 19of the teeler' pa'sses'through a swivel block 20 mounted'on the feeler stand.

The feeler 18 is provided with a tooth or projection 21 which is'adapted to be engaged by a detent or pawl 22 pivotally mounted at 23 on a bracket 24 which may be conveniently supported by the feeler stand, and the frontwardly extending end portion of the detent or pawl 22 is under the influence of a spring 25, the construction being such that should the feeler be moved frontwardly by a working supply of filling on a detecting beat. the tooth or projection 21 will pass frontwardly of the detent or fall 22 and will be held in its frontward position during the periods of inactivity of the feeler. While any desired character of feeler may be employed with the present invention to be hereinafter described, the mechanism so far set forth is shown as substantially the same as that in the patent to Edward S. Stimpson No. 1,541,755, dated June 9, 1925.

The lay 26 has the usual shuttle box the front wail of which is provided with a slot 27 which registers with a corresponding slot in the front wall of the shuttle when the latter is properly boxed, substantially as set forth in the Stimpson patent above mentfoned.

The cam follower 28 may also be of usual construction and the rearwardly extending leg 29 thereof carries a shoe 30 which rides upon a cam 31 mounted on the cam shaft 32 as usual, the construction being such that during rotation of the cam shaft the cam follower will be actuated to carry its upwardly extending portion 23 towards and from the front of the loom, it being understood that the cam follower is pivotally supported as is now common in loom construc tions.

The present invention contemplates that the cam follower shall be provided with a periodically actuated mechanism associated with means between the feeler mechanism and the cam follower to free the feeler at intervals, and as one good form of such mechanism it coii'i nrises "p-by-step means actuated through the movement of the cam follower. The periodically acting trip mechanism is self-contained; that is 1t comprises a step-by-step device carried by its own support and adapted to be attached to any of the usual cam followers now common in looms.

In the present instance the step-by-step mechanism comprises a bracket or plate 33 having a laterally extending lug 34 by which the bracket or plate may be secured to the cam follower by means of a bolt or other scouring means 35, and in order that the self-contained step-by-step mechanism may be adjusted laterally relative to the cam follower the lug 34 is provided with an elongated slot 36 through which the securing bolt passes for securing the step-by-step mechanism to the cam follower.

Mounted on the bracket or plate 33 is a ratchet wheel 37 which may be conveniently supported upon a pin or dead shaft 38 carried by the bracket or plate, and mounted on the hubportion 39 of the ratchet wheel is a trip lug 40 which, as the ratchet wheel is turned step-by-step, as will hereinafter be described, acts upon a train of mechanism to trip or free the feeler to the performance of its feeling function.

Pivotally supported at 41 upon the bracket or plate 33 is a pawl carrier 42 having associated therewith a ratchet actuating pawl 43, and the pawl carrier 42 is normally under the influence of a spring 44 tending to move the pawl carrier and pawl in their idle stroke in a frontward direction. order that the pawl carrier may be confined to a predetermined range of movement and thereby prevent the pawl 43 from dropping too far in a downward direction, the bracket or plate 33 is provided with a stop shoulder 45 adapted to be engaged by an upwardly projecting portion 43' mounted on the pawl carrier. To prevent retrograde movement of the ratchet wheel 3'7 a check pawl 47 may be provided to engage the tooth of the ratchet and hold it as the pawl carrier and pawl 43 move in the idle stroke. The check pawl 47 is shown as pivotally supported at 48 on the bracket or plate 33.

Since the cam follower has a one-to-two movement relative to the usual crank shaft, a hunter is provided for actuating the pawl carrier 42 as the cam follower is moved under the actuation of its operating mechanism 31. In the present instance of the invention the loom frame has secured thereto an arm 49 (Fig. 1) to which is adjustably connected a hunter 50, such adjustable feature of the hunter being provided by means of a slot 51 in the hunter through which passes the securing bolt 52, the construction being such that the hunter may be readily adjusted to impart to the pawl carrier 42 its active stroke as the cam follower moves frontwardly, and such active stroke of the pawl carrier may be regulated to effect a step-bystep movement of the ratchet wheel 37 to the extent of one or more teeth.

Piv'otally mounted at 53 on the bracket or plate 33 is a trip arm 54 having a toe p0rtion 55 adapted to be engaged at times by the trip lug 40, as more clearly indicated in Fig. 2. The trip arm 54 rests upon the end of a plunger 56 carried by a casing 57 secured to the bracket or plate 33, and the opposite end 58 of the plunger rests against the end of a flexible wire 59 enclosed by a flexible sheath 60, the construction being such that when the plunger 56 is pressed against the end of the flexible wire 59 it will move the latter longitudinally in its sheath and such movement is utilized to trip the feeler or free it to its feeling function.

The sheathed wire extends to a bracket 61 which may be conveniently mounted upon the bracket 24 secured to the feeler stand, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the end of the flexible wire 59 atthispointrests under a lug 62 carried by the detent or pawl 22, the result being that when the flexible wire 59 is moved by the plunger 56 itwill lift the detent or pawl 22 against the action of the spring 25 and free the feeler to its feeling function, under the action of the usual feeler spring 63. I

Since the step-by-step mechanism is selfcontained and mounted upon the cam follower, it may be desirable at times that a cover plate 64 be secured to the bracket or plate 33 in overlying relation with the stepby-step mechanism, and this is done in the present instance of the invention by providing bearing lugs 65 and 66 on the bracket .or plate 33 or the'cover plate 60 respectively, as indicated in Fig. 3, suitable bolts 67 being provided to hold the bracket or plate 33 and the cover plate in their associated relation. here a cover plate 64 is employed the projecting toe portion 68 of the pawl carrier 42 extends beyond the front edge portions of the bracket or plate 33 and the cover plate 64 for engagement by the hunter 50 as the cam follower moves frontwardly. As an additional means for holding the cover plate in its associated relation with the bracket or plate 33 the stud or dead shaft 38 may extend through the cover plate 64 and be provided with a nut 69.

The step-by-step mechanism may be bodily attached to or detached from the cam follower byv disengagementof the bolt 35 from the cam follower, a construction which readily adapts the present invention for application to looms now in use.

During weaving and as the cam follower moves frontwardly the hunter 50 will actuate the pawl carrier 42 and move the ratchet wheel 37 in its step-by-step movement, and when the trip lug 40 engages the trip arm 54 during the step-by-step movement of the ratchet, the plunger 56 will be moved to effect movement of the flexible wire 59 in its sheath, thereby freeing the feeler momentarily so that it may move to its feeling position and then the spring 25 which acts upon the detent or pawl 42 will return the flexible wire 59 to its original position after the trip lug 40 has passed out of engagement with the trip arm. Thus the feeler has periods of activity alternating with periods of inactivity during weavin and when the feeler detects substantial eX austion of the filling on a detecting beat during an active period of the feeler, it will call for a change of filling.

Claims-- 1. In a loom, the combination of the lay, a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward inoperative positlon, a step-by-step mechanism mounted on the cam follower between the lay and loom front for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals and a hunter for actuating said step by step mechanism.

ing the feeler in a frontward position, a stepby-step mechanism mounted on the cam follower. between the lay and loom front, and means for actuating said step-by-step mechanism to free the feeler at intervals during weaving.

3. In a loom, the combination of the lay, a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle, a device for hold-. ing the feeler in a frontward position, a trip for said device, and a ratchet and pawl mechai'iism mounted on the cam follower between the lay and loom front for operating the trip to free the feeler at intervals.

4. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward position, a step-bystep mechanism mounted on the cam follower below the operating head or hammer for freeing the feeler from, said device at intervals, and a hunter for actuating the stepby-step mechanism on the cam follower.

5. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler for detecting the filling in the shuttle, a ratchet and pawl mechanism mounted for bodily movement with the cam follower towards and from the front of the loom, a trip lug carried by Said mechanism, means for actuating said mechaniSm on each movement of the cam follower, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward position, and a trip actuated by the trip lug at intervals to free the feeler.

6. In a loom, the combination of the lay, a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward inoperative position, a selfcontained trip mechanism movable with the cam follower between the lay and loom front, means for actuating the trip mechanism on the cam follower, and means operated by the trip mechanism for freeing the feeler at intervals.

7. In a, loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling, a holding device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position, a trip mechanism mounted on the cam follower between the lay and breast beam, a device for operating the trip mechanism as the cam follower is moved, and means actuated by the trip mechanism at intervals to free the feeler from the holding device.

8. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a bracket or plate detachably connected to the cam follower, a trip mechanism carried by said plate, means for actuating the trip mechanism on the cam follower step by step, a device for holdin the feeler in an inoperative position, an means operated by the trip mechanism for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals.

9. In a loom, the combination of the lay, a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward position, a step by-step trip mechanism carried by the cam follower between the lay and breast beam, a hunter for actuating said mechanism as the cam follower is moved, and means actuated by the trip mechanism after a plurality of movements of the cam follower for free ing the feeler from said device.

10. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position, a trip mechanism movable with the cam follower and including a ratchet wheel, a hunter for actuating the ratchet wheel as the cam follower is moved, and means operated by the trip mechanism for freeing the feeler at intervals.

11. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position, a ratchet wheel mounted on the cam follower and hav ing a trip lug, means for operating the ratchet wheel, and means operated after a predetermined movement of the ratchet wheel to free the feeler from said device.

12. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position, a ratchet wheel mounted on the cam follower and having a trip lug, a pawl for operating the ratchet wheel, abunter for operating the pawl, and means actuated by the trip lug for freeing the feeler at intervals.

13. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position, a trip mechanism mounted on the cam follower, connections between said trip mechanism and said device including a sheathed wire for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals.

14. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position, a ratchet wheel having a trip lug and operating pawl movable with the cam follower, a hunter for operating the pawl, and means actuated by the trip lug for freeing the feeler at intervals.

15. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in a frontWard inoperative position, a self-contained trip mechanism carried by the cam follower including a bracket or plate detachably connected to the cam follower, a ratchet having a trip lug and operating pawl mounted on the bracket or plate, means for actuating the pawl, and means operated by the trip lug for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY A. DAVIS. 

